Short hops and hard knocks with Red Sox beat writer Ian Browne.

Henry, Cherington stand by Valentine

Red Sox owner John Henry and general manager Ben Cherington made it clear before Monday night’s game against the Rangers that Bobby Valentine isn’t going to be made a scapegoat for the team’s disappointing season to date.

“To blame Bobby Valentine for the Red Sox being .500 at this point in the season is simply wrong,” Henry wrote in an email to reporters. “A lot has been written about injuries to key players this year. The impact of that on the Sox this year should not be discounted.

“In baseball, managers often get too much credit and too much blame for what happens on the field. That seems to be a constant. There is often the thought in organizations, ‘This isn’t working so the manager needs to go.’ But an organization is much more than the field manager. We all share responsibility for the success and failure of the Boston Red Sox. We are not making a change in manager.”

The Boston Herald suggested on Monday that it was time for the Sox to make a change in the dugout. General manager Ben Cherington didn’t seem to agree.

“Bobby’s our manager, and we’re not looking at anyone else,” Cherington said in the dugout before Monday’s game. “He’s as committed to managing the team as he ever has been, and we’re committed to him and trying to do everything we can to support him and make this work.”

Valentine seemed unfazed by the situation prior to Monday’s game.

“I try not to be surprised. It comes with the territory,” Valentine said. “I just come to work and try to do the best that I can do. I can’t control [the] thought process, that’s for sure.”

Does Valentine feel he is managing to save his job?

“I have no idea, I manage for my job every day I think,” he said. “I try to give my best every day that I come out.”

2 Comments

Here’s the worst thing about this miserable sox season… no one wants to admit they made a mistake and then try to re-hire Francona. This is all about puffed chest now and its disrespectful to the fans. I watched Joe Girardi tell the Yankees network that he isnt counting the sox out and that they’re a team with great talent who can out a lot of wins together… sure… he was blowing smoke… AT LEAST HE LOOKED LIKE HE MEANT IT! What I’m saying is that I see more passion and belief from THE YANKEES MANAGER… than I do from the sox manager… hey, ownership thought, clean slate, colorful manager… it did not work, admit it, eat his piddly contract and get Terry back. Grow up. Come on, no one will think its bad or you’re being flaky…if Epstein can come back after a blow up, so can Francona… get over it, lets at least finish with hope.

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